Ole Rawhead first came to life in Clive Barker’s “Books of Blood Vol. 3” in 1984. The short story depicts Rawhead as an ancient creature long forgotten by the newly gentrified English town of Zeal, that reemerges and wreaks bloody havoc upon its citizens. After devouring and pissing on everything from children to the local clergymen, a Londoner gains information on how to defeat the beast and send Rawhead back to hell once and for all. This short masterpiece from Barker broke boundaries at the time. Rawhead himself is depicted almost as a giant penis with teeth who loathes women only to be ultimately vulnerable to them. Excessive verses from the book from the eating of children to desecrations to the church made the short story both loved and loathed in particularly in Barker’s classically stiff homeland of England. “Books of Blood Vol.3” was a literary success and within a year, Rawhead was headed to the big screen.
Much like the written work, “Rawhead Rex” the film, was both loved and loathed by audiences. On a screenplay by Barker, which was drastically changed often, the film was moved to Ireland. The team behind the film wanted to shoot away from the evil eyes of the tough censor board of the English and felt that the religious overtones of the work were better set in deep Catholic country. The film has Howard Hallenbeck traveling to Ireland to research items of religious significance. Poor timing for Howard as a couple of farmers remove artifacts that have held Rawhead at bay for centuries. Once risen, Rawhead rampages through the Irish countryside tearing through children, residents of a trailer park, and most of the local clergy. Howard races against time to find the clues to put the beast down for good before the entire village is eaten alive.
Both film and written versions of this monster have torn the horror nation in two for over three decades. A fairly fundamental divide stands between disappointed fans of the written work and fans of the film. The vast majority who love the original written word were deeply disappointed in the film. Barker’s no holds barred short story and metaphoric references were lost on the big screen version. Those who love good old fun monster films just adore the beast himself in all of his cheesy gore filled glory. That just scratches the surface of the history behind the film. Barker himself loathed the film. Coming off of his horrific first screenplay, (Transmutations) he once again teamed up with director George Pavlou. Loved by many horror hounds, “Rawhead Rex” was shredded by critics. Barker quickly disowned the film, feeling it was nowhere near as deep and satirically important as his short story. Barker was never consulted after his second draft and never asked on set all through production, leading most to believe the production team was just cashing in on a hit written novella. Others say that Barker quickly lost interest after his second draft was submitted and tried to hide away from the film version, finding it too schlocky. The best thing to come from this feud was that Barker would no longer allow anyone to touch his work for a while. What the horror nation got from this was the immortal films of “Hellraiser” (Based on Barker’s novella, “The Hellbound Heart”) and “Nightbreed.” (Based on Barker’s novella, “Cabal”) Perhaps once and for all settling the debate that written works should only be directed by the original authors.
While debates still rage on this cult classic monster, it is perhaps important to admire the beast for what it is in both formats. The written work is a satirical masterpiece that conjures up horrific imagery that takes the piss out of religion, gentrification, and urban-rural tensions. The film is just ninety minutes of pure 80’s monster fun. Both should be enjoyed and appreciated for what they are with over analysis of both unnecessary. As of 2019 Barker was in talks to remake or reboot the series but has stepped away to work on a future Hellraiser project. Director Pavlou is also said to be working on a new Rawhead adaption. As of this time no official release statement on any production in progress is available.